How to Get the Most Out of Plain Figures

[Chris Brantley]

There are lot of figures out there, and i won't name names, that are more crudely sculpted or have less detail than the norm. They also tend to be on the less expensive end of the scale, which makes them attractive for gamers on a budget. So the question is, how can you make great looking elements out of less then compelling figures. Paul Hannah's tips in another thread prompted this question. Here are some ideas, and I invite the Fanatici to add their own tips and techniques.

1) Shields -- for characters bearing shields, the shield is the most visible part of the figure. Spend extra time with the shield designs and/or usie nice looking shield transfers or rub-ons in order to kick your figures up a notch.

2) Basing -- a great basing job will raise the overall visual impression of your figures..and may be the single most important thing you can do to make poor figures pop.

3) Flags and banners -- use lots of flags and banners, especially for medieval period troops.

4) Shading -- The Miracle Dip or similar shading techniques will create a visually appealing contrast on "roughly" carved figures (i.e. figures with lots of folds, crevices and other rough sculpting detail that just doesn't look right until painted up.)

5) Blacklining -- for figures that are smoothly carved with limited or flat details (i.e. no deep crevices), try the blacklining technique to create contrast. A variation on this is to undercoat the figures black, and then carefully paint on the colors, leaving black exposed at key transition points.

Any other thoughts?

[Terry37]

I have been gaming a long time, and go back to the days when Scruby was about all you had (the early 60's). They were great in their day, but had little detail. So also being a figure collector I adopted the style of a Greenwood and Ball, and a Super Stadden in my painting. I would paint the figure with the rpoepr basic colors over a light gray primer, then shade and highlight, even if the folds aren't there, you can create them by visualizing them. Laslty the G&B touch - I would outline as much as possible with very thin black lines of a very dark navy blue. These methods gave the otherwise simple figures quite a bit of detail and a pleasing look. I still use this method today, and yes, it is a slow approach so it probably won't appeal to most gamers. Terry

[Timurilank]

I would suggest a quick google search "How to paint flats". In addition to what Chris listed I usually paint black or dark brown lines to simulate folds in clothing, then run a wash or thinned acrylic or ink to add colour. Afterwards, add touches of thinned biege or white for highlighting.

cheers,

[Markus Steffen]

As an addition to Timurilanks tip I would like to show you a link to a very detailed article that describes, how to paint flats:

http://www.paintingclinic.com/clinic/clinic.htm

Scroll down on the left menu. You will find the article nearly at then end of it.

Hope that helps.

Markus

[ March 19, 2006, 01:57: Message edited by: Markus Steffen ]

[Minimus Maximus]

A variation of blacklining that I use is to prime the figure in matt black, then drybrush with white.

This picks out the detail in a nice highly visible contast. All the detail is easier to see, and thus easier to paint.

If at the end, there are areas that look too flat (usually cloaks and other fabric areas) then creases and filds are painted in with either a darker version of the main colour, or for a more striking "toy soldier" look, in black.

The results of this technique can be seen on http://photos.yahoo.com/badger_studios

[Minimus Maximus]

I would also agree with earlier comments, a bit of attention to shields, bases and banners can work wonders for the overall impact.

Personally, I have never got on with the dip/wash technique - perhaps I haven't tried hard enough??